Ferret Press/PANEL Weblog

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50595532010-03-13T12:59:45.056-05:00Ferret Press/PANEL WeblogWelcome to the weblog of the writers and artists of Ferret Press (a publisher of fine comix) and PANEL (a Columbus, Ohio comic creators collaborative.) Here you will find our musings on comics, art, the creative process, politics, the web, and life.Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.comBlogger3749125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-30604047003720178032010-03-13T12:59:00.001-05:002010-03-13T12:59:45.071-05:00This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://ferretpress.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://ferretpress.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-3344910989632448092010-03-13T12:56:00.002-05:002010-03-13T12:57:44.137-05:00Blog unavailabe for a few days

Dear Readers,The Ferret Press/PANEL blog may be unavailable for a few days while we undergo the process of switching from the old Blogger platform to Wordpress. We hope to be back up and operational soon.Thanks,Dara

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-57865732793402206942010-03-13T12:25:00.004-05:002010-03-13T12:33:12.702-05:00Magus: the Alan Moore conference

Are you going to be in Northampton, England on May 28 & 29? Do you have £60 to spare? Then check out the cool conference you can attend at The University of Northampton:Magus: Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Work of Alan Moore"The University of Northampton is pleased to announce the first international academic conference dedicated to appraising the work of perhaps the most influential figure

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-41486980046251399082010-03-13T11:59:00.003-05:002010-03-13T12:19:25.164-05:00Webcomic: Zahra's Paradise

Zahra's Paradise is a webcomic by two Iranians, dealing with the aftermath of the protests and turmoil following last summer's disputed elections. Out of concern for the safety of their families, they are publishing it under the pseudonyms Amir and Khalil.The webcomic is being serialized on the First Second website. It will eventually be published as a graphic novel by the same publisher. The

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-57735670828454922222010-03-09T12:50:00.005-05:002010-03-09T12:58:00.712-05:00In eight years we all get those cool rocket backpacks.

Peter David's blog has been running his old "But I Digress..." columns. The latest one, first published in 1992, has him taking obvious shots at the Comics Code. My favorite paragraph:"What purpose does it serve? None that I can see. Keeping things suitable for younger readers? It’s hard to believe that, if the CCA vanished tomorrow, the floodgates of profanity, gore and sexuality would open in

Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00263620386317995744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-23016211700067089822010-03-08T09:24:00.002-05:002010-03-08T09:24:59.074-05:00Not that he should be beaten with a crowbar or anything ...

I picked up some 1980s Batman comics the other day, and I'm starting to see why audiences never warmed to Jason Todd. That kid was annoying.Also, if you're explaining the seating situation in the Batmobile, you're losing.These images come from Batman 397, July 1986, by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake. This issue also told us how one of Two-Face's goons actually had a pretty easy time developing leet

Tonynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-67547568486907441792010-03-06T09:33:00.004-05:002010-03-06T10:00:19.863-05:00For you "Lost" fanatics: And then there's this...

According to this Washington Post piece many of the questions created during the show's run will never be answered..."...because, the writers say, they have run out of time."Also..."They have no intention of discussing the show after the finale airs on May 23..."Wait, wait, wait. I actually have read a handful of the seven hundred billion articles that have been written wbout the show "Lost" and

Matt Kishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890971276634107053mattkish87@gmail.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-39534030360660871832010-03-04T19:29:00.002-05:002010-03-04T19:32:33.440-05:00Lost: smoke monster question

For you Lost fans: something that struck me while watching this week's episode: in the earlier seasons encounters with the smoke monster, it seems to me that it was colored jet black. But this season, it looks more gray. I can’t figure out if this is just an oversight in the special effects (maybe a different production company is doing the CG effects?), or if it's intentional. As in: not all bad

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-9240217506204027242010-03-02T13:55:00.004-05:002010-03-02T14:28:47.108-05:00Star-Spangled Kid, you're my hero

The really annoying thing about the 1970s Justice Society was how they kept trying to "push" the Star-Spangled Kid.He's kind of a sucky character. He's impulsive, green and not tremendously competent. He's the only one who's not outwardly sexist toward Power Girl, but he seems to think that should get him through her cleavage window. And the bragging! He's always bragging about all the things he

Tonynoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-70342868087782046512010-02-28T12:52:00.004-05:002010-02-28T13:03:56.470-05:00Weekend Versus

This weekend, it's Femforce vs. The Claw:Wow, the placement of that middle "claw" isn't phallic or anything...

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-66609500387821030702010-02-25T22:46:00.002-05:002010-02-25T23:13:24.359-05:007 Covers: comics I was promised would be worth buckets of money

This week's covers are courtesy of PANELista Craig Bogart. Craig writes:"Seven comics I was promised would be worth buckets of money: I'm not sure why I was surprised this past MidOhio when I saw Flash #1 and Animal Man #1 for just a buck or two apiece. Those used to be pricey issues. I came in late to the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League, so that first issue cost me about $15 when I bought it.

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-61431002134066954712010-02-24T16:04:00.003-05:002010-02-24T16:43:32.854-05:00Hungarians, Childhood and Steve Black: Tryin' to live the dream

This guy, Willy Pogany, is literally the first artist I ever liked. Click on all these images to make them bigger. Seriously. They look so much better that way.I remember a set of books called something like “My Little Bookhouse.” There were 10 or 12 of them, all hardcovers, and all themed. The earliest volumes were geared toward very young readers, and contained mostly Mother Goose rhymes, Aesop

Matt Kishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890971276634107053mattkish87@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-13797711490294563092010-02-24T09:01:00.003-05:002010-02-24T09:10:54.585-05:00Apparently the kids like Deadpool

Because Marvel's doing a "Deadpool variant" cover on almost all their books, for no apparent reason other than to feature Deadpool. Oh, and I guess sell a bunch of extra comics.For what it's worth, the crasher squirrel cover is one of the few that I find to be funny, but maybe that's my geeky Internets meme appreciation side talking.I mean, if you're going to do variant covers (which I'm no fan

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-35840103644962704562010-02-21T19:26:00.002-05:002010-02-21T19:30:15.235-05:00Fantastic Four vs. Dumb and Dumber

This image reminded of that one joke from Dumb and Dumber:Harry: Ooh, look at the buns on that one...Lloyd: Yeah, he must work out. Art by Dale Eaglesham, from Fantastic Four #576.

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-81426940532680823362010-02-21T19:18:00.003-05:002010-02-21T19:20:39.599-05:00Weekend Versus

This weekend's crossover combat special is Hermes vs. The Eyeball Kid:Weird? Unusual? Surreal? Look, all you need to know is that it's by Eddie Campbell. 3-issue series, plus lots of appearances in Dark Horse Presents. Go find a copy and enjoy!

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-26207126127146301782010-02-19T18:36:00.002-05:002010-02-19T18:39:31.470-05:00What the heck happened to the comments?

Well, it looks like the free commenting service that I had been using, Haloscan, is no more. I started using them because at the time I set up this blog, Blogger itself did not offer a comments feature. But Haloscan was bought out by some pay service, and is being shut down. I can export all 8000+ comments from this blog, but there's no way to import them as of yet. Sigh.This means I really need

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-5801523267247503812010-02-19T10:22:00.002-05:002010-02-19T10:23:05.329-05:001970s Justice Society: Sorry, Roy Thomas

A few months ago, I raised hackles by casually dismissing the work of Roy Thomas. Turns out I was wrong about that, I was attributing to him some crappy comics by Paul Levitz and Gerry Conway.***My first exposure to the Justice Society was the early-1990s revival, where they're shown as these aging workhorses. I was a big fan of the 1999-2006 series, which depicted them as the elder statesmen of

Tonynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-85741500420657639922010-02-17T22:48:00.004-05:002010-02-17T23:00:08.193-05:00Okaaaaaaay???

Paul Hornschemeier Interviewed by Royal Jelly from John Orlow on Vimeo.Longish interview with Paul Hornschemeier. Honestly it's a weird one. Paul appears to be walking around his townhouse. Or the guy holding the camera ambles around stalker style. Casing the joint. I tapped out after 8 minutes. He'll be coming to S.P.A.C.E. in April. Paul will, not the stalker camera guy.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890148719600070667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-10527321876421233322010-02-17T22:08:00.003-05:002010-02-17T22:19:21.200-05:007 Covers: Dave Dorman

Matt's 7 Covers last week reminded me of the Hawkmoon comics, and how one of the series featured painted covers by one of Young Dara's favorite cover artists of the 80s and 90s. So, this week I'm featuring 7 covers by Dave Dorman. He was a mainstay of indie publishers, especially Dark Horse, doing a ton of movie-related comic covers. His ultra-realistic paintings don't do as much for me anymore,

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-47878149342616124162010-02-17T10:34:00.002-05:002010-02-17T10:43:37.337-05:00Boy's Life

We've touched on the subject in the comments of a couple posts below: here's preview artwork from Marvel's new "Astonishing" line of new-reader friendly books.I think a big part of expanding readership would have to involve changing the image of comic readers. My enthusiansm for new comics waned when I realized I was being lumped together with a group of porn-obsessed basement dwellers. I was

Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00263620386317995744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-56920772560805358932010-02-16T22:45:00.002-05:002010-02-16T22:53:58.493-05:00Permission to land...

Once in a while, when Pitchfork isn't masturbating over the new Of Montreal album, they post something cool. This is a pic from Wayne Coyne's house. If I had the means, this is probably the house I'd live and create in. You can see the architect's work here.On my breaks, I occasionally check out houses around town and came to a similar conclusion: you have to move either outside the city or in a

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890148719600070667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-55469882019398255552010-02-16T13:34:00.002-05:002010-02-16T13:37:35.335-05:00A response to Dara's post.

John Byrne recently posted this on his message boards: a picture of what new comic book day used to look like.Where are the 582 Spider-Man comics? The 317 X-Men, or 274 seperate Avengers titles, or 637 members of the Batman family of titles? That market couldn't have been healthy.

Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00263620386317995744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-75989194900867923212010-02-16T12:29:00.002-05:002010-02-16T12:53:43.532-05:00Do you love Spider-Man?

I mean, really love Spider-Man? That's good, because Marvel's solicitations for books shipping in May are online, and it looks like there's exactly 582 Spider-man books coming out.Ok, so I exaggerated. But just a bit. Here are the Spidey books coming out in just a single month:ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN/WOLVERINE #1ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #10AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #631 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #632AMAZING

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-3472965076224920172010-02-16T09:44:00.003-05:002010-02-16T09:53:22.426-05:00Ghostbusters: Tainted Love preview

Newsarama just posted a preview of my Ghostbusters one-shot for Valentine's Day. Not the highest quality scans os Salgood Sam's artwork, but you get the idea. Also, here's a look at the couple of different variant covers, by artist Nick Runge: (*sigh* yes, I know, I know...I'm not a fan of variant covers either. But unfortunately I don't make the business decisions...)By the way, the book was

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5059553.post-13442647061196994022010-02-16T08:49:00.003-05:002010-02-16T09:01:46.774-05:00Now it can be revealed: my Witch & Wizard comic

Since the official announcement was made today in this USA Today article, I can finally talk about one of my current IDW projects: an all-new, original 4-issue limited series based on the characters and settings of James Patterson's latest YA book, Witch & Wizard.This is the cover mock-up they ran in the article, but it's not going to be the final cover of the first issue. The artwork is being

Darahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220541187949500502noreply@blogger.com0